If these rumors are true, y'all should get one by years end

The official story: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation." -- Microsoft rep.

What we heard: Either Meristation.com is darn creative, or Microsoft has a serious leak problem. The Madrid-based game site claims to have received a laundry list of revelations from a chatty employee of the software behemoth's Xbox 360 division.

If true, the list augurs a host of major Xbox 360 developments in the coming months. Foremost among these is a price drop in October, shortly before the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution go on sale. According to Meristation.com's source, the price of the premium Xbox 360 bundle will go from $399 to $299, while the core bundle will drop $80 from $299 to $219.

The Microsoft mole also reportedly had revelations regarding some Xbox 360 peripherals. S/he said that the console's HD-DVD peripheral will be $100 and arrive in September, the same month that its EyeToy-like camera will ship. The camera will cost $50-$70 and come bundled with a game, will allow for Webcam videoconferencing, and be called "My Eye on You." (Insert snide Orwellian Bill-Gates-as-Big-Brother aside here.) The source also says that Microsoft is readying a 100GB hard drive for the 360, but did not have a release date or price.

On the game tip, the Meristation.com mole said that Halo 3 will be at E3 in two weeks in trailer form. The game will reportedly ship in March 2007, several months before the Halo movie is slated to hit theaters.

Another highly anticipated Xbox 360 game, Gears of War, will arrive the last week of October 2006 on the crest of a massive marketing push, according to the mole. Microsoft is also reportedly in negotiations to get exclusive rights for a high-profile "urban game"--which the site speculates could be the next Grand Theft Auto.

Though the above rumors are more than enough craziness for an asylum's worth of insane gamers, the Meristation story has more. It says that Sega has struck a deal much like its one with Nintendo to make most Genesis games playable on the Xbox 360 via a "virtual console." The site says said functionality will be available as of October, along with another wave of all new Xbox Live Arcade games.

Meristation's rumorpalooza wraps up with the mention that two new Xbox 360 dashboards are in the works, with one designed specifically for kids. It also says that Microsoft has signed deals with Epic Records for Xbox-360-exclusive music content, and with NBC to televise Xbox Live tournaments. Speaking of Xbox Live, the story also says that the bandwidth devoted to the online service will soon quintuple.

There's no question that the Meristation speculation will cause palpitations in just about any Xbox fanboy or girl. But once the enthusiasm generated by the story dies down, skepticism sets in. The simple fact is, with Microsoft maintaining its traditional wall of silence, there is no way to confirm or deny any aspect of the story. However, if even half of the details are true, Sony and Nintendo will be playing a serious game of catch-up when their consoles launch later in the year.

Bogus or not bogus?: There's no way of saying for sure, but take heart: Microsoft's pre-E3 press briefing is just over two weeks away.

Prepare to be WIERDED OUT!!!!!

This just gave me the willies. Good old Nepalese genes.

this might be the best senior photo of all time

great!!!!!

heading to c-BLOG

Since THE FISH is coming in town this month, I can't think of a better warm up to get your sorry asses in shape for the BIG C to come in town. That's right, yours truly will be in "C"bus over Memorial Day weekend.

Z, I hate I'm missing your return to the states. I expect a drunken phone call at an obscene hour so I can kill a beer with you whilst you're stateside. Make sure that obscene hour is before midnight... I'm getting old.

Having said that, the btown boyz best get their training wheels off when they have the chance. T and C are planning a weekend that will make going thru puberty seem like a cakewalk.

Actually we're not planning that much. The weekend speaks for itself. REDNESS has been kind enough to pick up tickets to the truck race in Mansfield (Man's fields will kill ya) on Saturday and Sunday is the Coke 600 presented by CautionFest, where there will be at least a baker's dozen cautions to drink to (if not TWO baker's dozen cautions). Other than that, plans are for me to land in CBUS on Friday around 4:20 (smokem if ya gottem) and depart around noon on Monday. In between, plans are to drink enough to embarrass me, you, and the horse you rode in on. Dust off your drinkin' boots boyz, the High Plains Drifter is gonna be in town, punks.

Speaking of T's story (no one was speaking of it but too bad) let me recommend two places to get yo freak on... other than under a blanket in plain sight.

1. Swimming pool, hot tub, etc. Yes, there's chlorine in the water for a reason. Make it earn its keep. Positions once thought impossible become more than possible.

2. Big ass outdoor trampoline. First, it's outside. Second, kinetic energy. You thrust, it thrusts back. No headboard to cause blunt force trama. Enough said. Plus, the springs creaking makes a romantic sound. Not really, but it reminds you that you are f-ing on a trampoline. That's freaking sweet. Just don't wake up the grandparents. It's a serious mood killer.

So put the women and children to bed gentlemen. Kick the tires and light the fires. It's time to buzz the tower. Mark your calendars for May 26th. Take a few days to remember what it was like to be men in college... drinking heavily, attempting to get laid, waking up with no memory of the previous night, drinking leftover, flat, warm half cans of beer at 10 AM, not smelling your own stench, and doing it all over again the next day. And loving every minute of it. My friends, these weekends are numbered for us veterans. This will be one of those weekends.

Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever.

Drunk guy up,
The High Plains Drifter

Carmen Electra

Carmen Electra rides the Sybian...... excellent!!!!!

well, where's the fun in that?

here is a case where so-called "scientists" are messing too much with a good thing.

now why would you want to mess with such a beautiful thing like alcohol. how are you supposed to teach the youngins not to drink except by waking them up early after a long night of underage consumption. and how do you wake them up? by clanking around the kitchen while making greasy bacon and sloppy, runny eggs and forcing them to eat it. it always works in in the sitcoms.

and how are the ugly chicks gonna get laid? more importantly, how am I going to get laid? oh, wait, there are still roofies. these people aren't looking at the potentially disastrous ramifications of their "work". what are the cops going to do at 2AM when everyone coming out of the bar is stone cold sober? actual police work? i think not. there will be bankrupt police departments everywhere when DUI ticketing income drops drastically, but donut consumption remains steady, if not increasing (cops get depressed too).

those quacks



SOILENT GREEN is PEOPLE!

Those Hollywood Stars....

At a recent Hollywoood Walk of Fame ceremony, a famous hollywood star showed up wearing a red shirt and NO PANTS!!!!!!

Here is the link to the photo.....

XBLOG

GameSpot has (or at least my local store) buy 2 used games get one free special going on. So, I picked up Crimson Skies, Rogue Agent, and Elder Scrolls III (yes, it's a gay RPG) for a grand total of 25 bucks. I got the first two against my better judgement, seeing as no one is ever on xbox live anymore. Give me a call so I don't regret sinking more money into Live games we never play. My $50 annual Live subscription started last month and I think we've played once since then. Blah.

I do recommend Rogue Agent for a $15 game. It's a lot like Goldeneye was for the N64 but with much cooler weapons and gadgets... and it's freakin' sweet to grab a hostage and let his friends cap his ass raw, then chuck the half-corpse into the crowd. The best is when you nearly kill an enemy and one of his friends grabs him and uses him as a hostage/human shield. There is no "I" in team. Also you can use machines and traps to kill enemies. I mistakenly backed into a sauna (Chinese bathhouse stage, don't ask) and the bastards shut the door and I got steamed to death. I'd go as far to say it is better than Halo 2 on single player. It is nothing like Everything or Nothing, which has been gathering dust since the first day I played it.

Good Ole Bellaire

Z, here is the town you will be visiting next week. Of course you have seen the cross-dressing library masturbater and the spray-paint huffer, now here is the V-F-W back door drug dealer. I was in btown last weekend and saturday night chug and I were pulling into the parking lot which once stood the great V-Bar and a bellaire cruiser and two ferry cars and i think a shadyside car were parked blocking the lot. i find out through dickey f. about the guy making a swim for it. that is all.... i have nothing....

BTBz reunion

BTBz and BTGz get your party pants on... or whatever. i got my R&R approved by the customer. i'm leaving india on the 17th, getting into NYC to renew my visa early on the 18th, and taking a late flight to pittsburgh later that night. my tentative plan right now is to be in bellaire from 18-april (tuesday) through 22-april (saturday). while in bellaire, i'll be catching up with friends and family, hanging with TheNephew, and attending TheOlderSister's wedding, i'm guessing in moundsville.

then i'm thinking of coming up to columbus on sunday, 23-april to catch some NASCAR action with the BTBz. i'd like to hang around for a couple days if anyone has a spare couch, or i could grab a hotel somewhere central to the BTBz (and hear a titty bar), thus we could use that as party headquarters when i'm in town.

i've not had the simple things america has to offer since august so i'm gonna be super-glutton. steaks, beer, laughing, cards, whatever. i want to see the BTBz at their best. i'm sure there's a lot i missed in the past year, and i hope to catch up on as much as possible.

sadly, i wasn't able to arrange my R&R for a weekend in columbus. but if any BTBz wanna come to good ol' B-Town, i'll be at TheFBar on friday night, and MAYBE saturday night after the reception. i was gonna try to be funny, but i'm really looking forward to coming home for a while and seeing everyone.

if you want, give me suggestions of things i should do when i get in, in case i've forgotten the existence of some of the nicer things. my main things so far are:

• steaks
• budweiser
• dicarlo's pizza
• titty bars
• maybe dave & buster's
• euchre/poker
• NASCAR
• just hanging out
• insert other things i should do in the comments

keep in mind i'll have about 5 days in bellaire, and up to 5 days in columbus. i might go back a little earlier depending on sleeping arrangements, how belligerent i get adjusting to a foreign culture, whether i need to detox before getting on the plane back on the 28th.

can't wait to see everyone. i want to cram as much fun in as possible.


what are ya waitin' for, plan me some fun!!

when we leavin'?

As for mansfield truck race.... i have to work saturday (seems like everyone else and his mother have that day off for memorial day). i will be done by 7 am or 8 am. i will be ready to leave from where-ever (probably T's will be good to meet) soon after that. i don't know when everyone was planning on leaving, but i can't leave until 8:30 at the latest. Discuss.....................

The B-Town Boyz

The tickets are bought and in my possession. We are in section 6B Row 10 seats 5-12. 6B is in turn 1 so hopefully we'll be able to see right down the front stretch and pit road. Tickets are $40. I have no idea what time the race starts. On the tickets it shows 9 a.m. so i figure that's when the gates open. Last years race was at 2 p.m. I have the tickets already because they give you the option to pay and print on the website. Right now Me, Juddy, Chad, T, Clint, Brian (guy I work with) are in. Update: Wasko and Ann are in also. Later, Redness.

The B-Town Boyz

The B-Town Boyz anyone interested in going to the mansfield truck race this year. it's on may 27th and as of last night there were still tickets available. Let me know soon so I can get the tickets.